Machine and process for cleaning wool and other textile fibres



A. BOER 2,979,782 MACHINE AND PROCESS FOR CLEANING WOOL AND OTHERTEXTILE FIBRES April 18, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 22, 1954INVENTOR. A IPPA D 305 B April 18, 1961 A. BOER 2,979,782

MACHINE AND PROCESS FOR CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER TEXTILE FIBRES 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 22, 1954 INVENTOR. A RPAJ) '3 7 United StatesPatent MACHINE AND PROCESS FOR CLEANING WOOL AND OTHER TEXTILE FIBRESArpad Boer, BuenosAires, Argentina, assignor, by mesne assignments, toBancroft-Brillotex. International S.A.,- Montevideo, Uruguay, acorporation of Uruguay Filed Dec. 22, 1954, Ser. No. 476,967

4 Claims. (Cl. 1 9 67);-

This invention. relatestto a :machine and processqiqr cleaning, draftingand, parallelizing wool, and other-fibres in order to preparethem. forsubsequent use or further processing.

According to the present invention, a machine is provided for the abovepurposes which generally comprises-a series of pairsof spaced, {endless-belts,arolls:.on which the belts are mounted and by which they aredriven, and the lineal arrangement of such series of spaced, endlessbelts, so as to form a continuous passage therebetween for the fibres tobe processed. Each successive pair of belts is rotated at a greaterspeed than the preceeding pair of belts, thereby providing an increasingspeed gradient along the machine from one end to the other. The spacebetween succeeding pairs of endless belts becomes progressively less.Means is also provided for introducing an absorbent powder detergent inadmixture with the fibres fed to the machine, and after the powderdetergent has asserted its cleaning action on the fibres, the detergentparticles with their absorbate, are discharged and processed,parallelized fibres are independently discharged.

In carrying out the process of the invention, the wool or other fibresare cleaned, drafted and parallelized by adding to the fibres as theyenter the machine, the absorbent powder detergent and then subjectingthe fibres and the detergent to repeated alternate compressions anddraftings, while causing frictional rubbing contact between the fibresand the detergent and at the same time, causing the fibres to move in alineal path of travel under substantially continuous lateralconfinement, along said path toward point of discharge under successiveincrements of speed and, finally, eliminating the detergent at the endof the path of travel of the fibres.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevational schematic sideview of the machine, constituting the invention, and Fig. 2 is anenlarged fragmentary detailed view of the upper portion of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the letters a, b, c, d, e and f designate aplurality of pairs of spaced, endless belts, belts a being the mostwidely spaced apart and succeeding pairs of belts being successivelyspaced closer together and the last pair of belts 1 being the closesttogether, it being understood that the number of pairs of belts may varyand need not necessarily be the exact number shown in Fig. 1, since thisdepends upon the quality and nature of the fibres and the number ofcompressions and draftings requiredto clean and parallelize the fibres.

It will be observed that the entire series of pairs of spaced, endlessbelts is lineally arranged so that to form there-between a continuouspassage g for the treatment of the wool or other fibres.

The fibres 1 are relatively dirty and unoriented and are fed to themachine by means of a conveyor 2, at the discharge end'of which are theinclined planes 3, which guide the fibres between the first pair ofspaced, endless belts a. A suitable hopper 5 containing detergent powder4, is suitably mounted above the entrance end of the into receptacle 8haying a small channel 8" in its bottom ancl in which-small channelthere is a helicoid conveyor'9,-v-which discharges the detergent powderto waste orior any. otherdesired purpose, such as reclaiming or Iregenerating thedetergent. Beyond conveyor7 there isja conveyor 10 whichdelivers the treated fibres to further j equipmengstorage or whatevermay be desired.

Since each pair of spaced, endless belts is identical in construction,only one pair will be described in detail, namely ,the, pair a. It willbe particularly seen from Fig. 2,*that each belt a is mounted on a setof rollers 11, 12;ofwhich-r0l-ler 11isa pressure roll and 12 is asmaller, secondary roll. These rollers 11, 12 are mounted on axles orshafts=13, 14, which latter are disposed in bearings 15, 16, the numeral17 designating a truss or resilient means having an extensible, rodlikepart 17' and articulated at 18. A helical spring 19 encircles parts 17',and tends to separate shafts 13 and 14 so as to maintain a constanttension in belts a. Bearings 15, 16, are each provided with an aperturedlug to which are anchored the ends of spring 20, which tend to draw thebearings and shafts together to assert compression on the fibres passingbetween the belts. The truss 17 is provided with an apertured lug 21 inwhich are anchored the ends of spring 22, which tend to pull rollers 12toward each other. Spring 22 is weaker than spring 20 and, hence,asserts less compressive force. Each belt is provided with a cleaningbrush 23 and each of the rollers 6 is likewise provided with such abrush for the usual purpose. Adjacent each pair of spaced, endless beltsare deflectors 24 for guiding extraneous matter removed by brushes 23outside the sphere of influence of the machine. Such extraneous materialdrops into receptable 25 from all the deflectors which are inclined at asuitable angle to bring about the effect. Each endless belt is alsoprovided with a fibre cleaning roller 26 in contact with its beltadjacent roller 12.

As fibres pass into and through the machine, they are admixed withabsorbent powder detergent which may be of any suitable nature, and asthe mixture of fibres and detergent are processed between the successivepairs of belts, they are cleaned, drafted and parallelized so that thefibres delivered to conveyor 10 are free from dirt, grease and othercontaminants and are in the form of a relatively thin blanket or veil inwhich the individual fibres are separate and substantially parallelized.

Successively increasing lengths of directional arrows shown on therollers of Fig. 1, serve to indicate that each successive set of rollersand the endless belt driven thereby is rotated at an increasinglygreater speed from one pair of belts to the next.

I claim:

1. A machine for cleaning, drafting and parallelizing wool and otherfibers comprising a series of pairs of spaced endless belts, a set ofrolls on which each endless belt is mounted and by which it is driven,each such set of rolls including a pressure roll and a smaller secondaryroll, bearings in which said rolls are mounted, a spring connecting eachpair of pressure roll bearings and urging them toward one another, asecond and weaker spring urging each pair of secondary roll bearingstoward one another, resilient means extending between each pressure andsecondary roll bearing for maintaining each belt under tension. the saidpairs of spaced endless belts being arranged linearly to provide acontinuous passage there Patented Apr...18 1961 between for fibers to beprocessed, each successive pair of belts being rotated at successivelyincreasing speeds to provide a speed gradient along the machine from oneend-to the other, the space between succeeding pairsofendlessbeltsbecoming progressively less, means for in troducing an absorbentpowdered detergent between the first pair of the series of spaced beltsfor admixture with the fibers, and means for removing the detergentparticles with their absorbate fromthe fibers after the fibers'have"passed through all said pairs of endless belts.

2. A p'rocess for cleaning, drafting and parallelizing wool and othertextile fiberswhich comprisesthe steps oi addingan absorbentpowder'edidetergent to the fibers, subjecting the fibers to repeatedalternate compressions and draftings while causing frictional rubbingcontact with the added absorbent powdered detergent and simultaneouslycausing the fibers to move in a linear path of travel undersubstantially continuous .lateral confinement along said path toward apoint of discharge under successive increments of speed, and theneliminating the added detergent at the'end of the path of travel of thefibers.

3. A process according to claim 2, in which each sue-- 613,267 'GrueneNov. 1, 1898 805,407 Born -5 Nov. 21, 1905 1,297,794 Casablancas Mar.18, 1919 1,323,641 McBride Dec. 2, 1919 7 2,304,885 Cobb Dec 15, 1942.

2,345,988 Ockrant Apr. 4, 1944 2,591,866 Pope Apr. 8,1952 2,621,372Wilkie Dec. 16, 1952 2,686,939 Keyser Aug. 24, 1954 2,689,382 Andrews etal. Sept. 21, 1954 2,825,937 Guimbretiere et al Mar. 11, 1958 2,858,573Boer Nov. 4, 1958 2,896,269 Gardella etal. July 28, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTScessive compression is at a greater pressure than the.

preceding compression.

4. A process according to claim 3, in which each comprcssion is followedby a slight expansion with a corresponding temporary slight loss ofspeed of travel.

References Cited the of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Feb.26, 1953 I

